2024 8 Hours of Bahrain
| Event information | |
|---|---|
| Round 8 of 8 in the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship | |
 | |
| Date | 2 November 2024 |
| Location | Sakhir |
| Venue | Bahrain International Circuit |
| Duration | 8 Hours |
| Results | |
| Laps completed | 235 |
| Distance (km) | 1271.571 |
| Distance (miles) | 790.118 |
| Hypercar | |
| Pole position | |
| Time | 1:46.714 |
| Team |  Toyota Gazoo Racing |
| Winners | |
| Team | Toyota Gazoo Racing |
| Drivers |  Sébastien Buemi Brendon Hartley Ryō Hirakawa |
| LMGT3 | |
| Winners | |
| Team |  Vista AF Corse |
| Drivers |  François Hériau Simon Mann Alessio Rovera |
The 2024 8 Hours of Bahrain (officially known as the 2024 Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain) was an endurance sportscar racing event held on 2 November 2024, as the eighth and final round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship. It was the thirteenth running of the event, and the sixth running of the event in an extended 8-hour format.
Background
[edit]The event, which ran over an duration of eight hours for the sixth time in a row, was announced during the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans weekend. The 8 Hours of Bahrain has been featured on the calendar since the series' inception in 2012.[1]
Entry list
[edit]The entry list was published on 17 October 2024, and saw several changes compared to the previous entry list. Sébastien Bourdais re-joined the No. 2 Cadillac Racing crew, after previously having driven at the 2024 Qatar 1812 km.[2] After Nicolas Lapierre's decision to retire from racing with immediate effect,[3] Jules Gounon took over his seat in the No. 35 Alpine Endurance Team entry, whilst Charles Milesi joined the No. 36 crew.[2] In LMGT3, Giorgio Roda joined the No. 88 Proton Competition team for the first time since Le Mans. Giammarco Levorato replaced Mikkel O. Pedersen in the same car.[2] Furthermore, Franck Perera was replaced by Matteo Cairoli in the No. 60 Iron Lynx entry.[2] Finally, Conrad Laursen replaced Clemens Schmid in the No. 78 Akkodis ASP Team entry.[2]
Schedule
[edit]| Date | Time (local: AST) | Event |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, 31 October | 12:15 | Free Practice 1 |
| 17:30 | Free Practice 2 | |
| Friday, 1 November | 12:00 | Free Practice 3 |
| 16:00 | Qualifying - LMGT3 | |
| 16:20 | Hyperpole - LMGT3 | |
| 16:40 | Qualifying - Hypercar | |
| 17:00 | Hyperpole - Hypercar | |
| Saturday, 2 November | 14:00 | Race |
| Source:[4] | ||
Practice
[edit]Three practice sessions were held before the event: two were held on Thursday, and one was held on Friday. The sessions on Thursday morning and Thursday afternoon lasted 90 minutes, and the session on Fruday morning lasted 60 minutes.[4]
Practice 1
[edit]The first practice session started at 12:15 AST on Thursday. Paul di Resta topped the session in the No. 94 Peugeot TotalEnergies entry, with a lap time of 1:50.837. Frédéric Makowiecki's No. 5 Porsche Penske Motorsport car was second-quickest, 0.049 seconds behind Di Resta. The No. 51 Ferrari AF Corse entry of Antonio Giovinazzi was third-quickest, 0.204 seconds behind Di Resta. Jean-Éric Vergne and Laurens Vanthoor rounded out the top five in the No. 93 Peugeot and No. 6 Porsche, respectively.[5] Kelvin van der Linde led LMGT3 in the No. 78 Akkodis ASP Team entry, with a lap time of 2 minutes, 2.079 seconds. Alessio Rovera slotted in in second in the No. 55 Vista AF Corse entry, 0.263 seconds behind Van der Linde. Matteo Cairoli rounded out the top three in the No. 60 Iron Lynx entry, 0.739 seconds behind Van der Linde.[6]
| Class | No. | Entrant | Driver | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypercar | 94 | Peugeot TotalEnergies
|
 Paul di Resta
|
1:50.837 | |
| LMGT3 | 78 | Akkodis ASP Team
|
 Kelvin van der Linde
|
2:02.079 | |
| Source:[7][8] | |||||
- Note: Only the fastest car in each class is shown.
Practice 2
[edit]The second practice session started at 17:30 AST on Thursday, and saw Dries Vanthoor lead the session in the No. 15 BMW M Team WRT entry, with a lap time of 1:48.257. He was 0.054 seconds quicker than Matt Campbell in the No. 5 Porsche, with Giovinazzi in the No. 51 Ferrari once again taking the third position, 0.215 seconds behind Vanthoor.[9] Esteban Masson led the LMGT3 class in the No. 87 Lexus, with a lap time of 2:02.246. He was 0.655 seconds quicker than Hiroshi Koizumi in the No. 82 TF Sport entry, with François Hériau rounding out the top three in the No. 55 Ferrari.[10]
| Class | No. | Entrant | Driver | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypercar | 15 |  BMW M Team WRT
|
Dries Vanthoor
|
1:48.257 | |
| LMGT3 | 87 | Akkodis ASP Team
|
Esteban Masson
|
2:02.246 | |
| Source:[11][12] | |||||
- Note: Only the fastest car in each class is shown.
Final practice
[edit]The third and final practice session started at 12:00 AST on Friday, which saw Vergne topping the time sheets in the No. 93 Peugeot with a lap time of 1:49.443. He was 0.219 seconds quicker than Yifei Ye in the No. 83 AF Corse entry, with Daniil Kvyat finishing third-quickest in the No. 63 Lamborghini Iron Lynx entry.[13] Alex Malykhin led the LMGT3 class in the No. 92 Manthey PureRxcing entry, lapping the circuit in 2 minutes, 3.987 seconds. His lap was 0.054 seconds quicker than that of second-placed Arnold Robin in the No. 78 Lexus, with Hériau finishing third-quickest in the No. 55 Ferrari.[14]
| Class | No. | Entrant | Driver | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hypercar | 93 | Peugeot TotalEnergies
|
Jean-Éric Vergne
|
1:49.443 | |
| LMGT3 | 92 |  Manthey PureRxcing
|
 Alex Malykhin
|
2:03.987 | |
| Source:[15][16] | |||||
- Note: Only the fastest car in each class is shown.
Qualifying
[edit]Qualifying results
[edit]Pole position winners in each class are marked in bold.
| Pos | Class | No. | Entrant | Qualifying | Hyperpole | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hypercar | 8 | Toyota Gazoo Racing
|
1:47.698 | 1:46.714 | 1 |
| 2 | Hypercar | 7 | Toyota Gazoo Racing
|
1:47.498 | 1:47.037 | 2 |
| 3 | Hypercar | 51 | Ferrari AF Corse
|
1:47.531 | 1:47.080 | 3 |
| 4 | Hypercar | 99 |  Proton Competition
|
1:48.101 | 1:47.234 | 4 |
| 5 | Hypercar | 50 | Ferrari AF Corse
|
1:48.014 | 1:47.527 | 5 |
| 6 | Hypercar | 6 | Porsche Penske Motorsport
|
1:48.042 | 1:47.542 | 6 |
| 7 | Hypercar | 5 | Porsche Penske Motorsport
|
1:47.944 | 1:47.630 | 7 |
| 8 | Hypercar | 12 | Hertz Team Jota
|
1:47.857 | 1:47.950 | 8 |
| 9 | Hypercar | 15 | BMW M Team WRT
|
1:47.741 | 1:47.970 | 9 |
| 10 | Hypercar | 20 | BMW M Team WRT
|
1:47.550 | 1:54.564 | 10 |
| 11 | Hypercar | 38 | Hertz Team Jota
|
1:48.263 | 11 | |
| 12 | Hypercar | 83 | AF Corse
|
1:48.282 | 13[Q 1] | |
| 13 | Hypercar | 2 | Cadillac Racing
|
1:48.466 | 12 | |
| 14 | Hypercar | 35 | Alpine Endurance Team
|
1:48.534 | 14 | |
| 15 | Hypercar | 94 | Peugeot TotalEnergies
|
1:48.552 | 15 | |
| 16 | Hypercar | 63 | Lamborghini Iron Lynx
|
1:48.555 | 16 | |
| 17 | Hypercar | 36 | Alpine Endurance Team
|
1:48.796 | 17 | |
| 18 | Hypercar | 93 | Peugeot TotalEnergies
|
No time | 18 | |
| 19 | LMGT3 | 95 | United Autosports
|
2:02.311 | 2:02.201 | 19 |
| 20 | LMGT3 | 59 | United Autosports
|
2:02.714 | 2:02.203 | 20 |
| 21 | LMGT3 | 55 | Vista AF Corse
|
2:02.458 | 2:02.367 | 21 |
| 22 | LMGT3 | 85 | Iron Dames
|
2:02.591 | 2:02.636 | 22 |
| 23 | LMGT3 | 92 | Manthey PureRxcing
|
2:03.202 | 2:02.720 | 23 |
| 24 | LMGT3 | 27 | Heart of Racing Team
|
2:03.140 | 2:02.949 | 24 |
| 25 | LMGT3 | 54 | Vista AF Corse
|
2:02.679 | 2:03.033 | 25 |
| 26 | LMGT3 | 81 | TF Sport
|
2:03.272 | 2:03.125 | 26 |
| 27 | LMGT3 | 82 | TF Sport
|
2:02.959 | 2:03.176 | 27 |
| 28 | LMGT3 | 78 | Akkodis ASP Team
|
2:03.641 | 2:03.269 | 28 |
| 29 | LMGT3 | 777 | D'station Racing
|
2:03.763 | 29 | |
| 30 | LMGT3 | 31 | Team WRT
|
2:03.785 | 30 | |
| 31 | LMGT3 | 46 | Team WRT
|
2:03.797 | 31 | |
| 32 | LMGT3 | 91 | Manthey EMA
|
2:03.975 | 32 | |
| 33 | LMGT3 | 88 | Proton Competition
|
2:04.315 | 33 | |
| 34 | LMGT3 | 77 | Proton Competition
|
2:04.606 | 34 | |
| 35 | LMGT3 | 87 | Akkodis ASP Team
|
2:04.772 | 35 | |
| 36 | LMGT3 | 60 | Iron Lynx
|
2:05.237 | 36 | |
| Source:[18] | ||||||
- ^ The No. 83 AF Corse entry received a 1-place grid drop after impending the No. 35 Alpine Endurance Team entry in the qualifying session.[17]
Race
[edit]Race results
[edit]The minimum number of laps for classification (70% of overall winning car's distance) was 164 laps. Class winners are in bold and ‡.
- ^ The No. 36 Alpine Endurance Team entry received a 5-second penalty for causing a collision with the No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse entry. Their final finishing position was unaffected.[19]
- ^ The No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport received two 5-second penalties: the first was for overtaking the No. 15 BMW M Team WRT entry off the track, whilst the second was for causing a collision with the No. 36 Alpine Endurance Team entry. Their final finishing position was unaffected.[20][21]
- ^ The No. 51 Ferrari AF Corse entry received a 295-second penalty for using 2 more tyres than the tyre allocation allowed. They dropped from 2nd to 14th overall.[22]
- ^ The No. 31 Team WRT entry received a drive-through penalty for causing a collision with the No. 27 Heart of Racing Team entry. Since they finished the race before taking the drive-through penalty, it was converted into a 50-second time penalty. They dropped from 26th to 27th overall, and from 12th to 13th in class.[23]
References
[edit]- ^ Cavers, Rachel (9 June 2023). "2024 FIA WEC calendar expands to eight rounds". FIA World Endurance Championship. Automobile Club de l'Ouest. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Klein, Jamie (17 October 2024). "Bourdais Rejoins Cadillac for Bahrain Season Finale". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ Euwema, Davey (2 October 2024). "Lapierre Announces Immediate Retirement from Racing". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ a b "2024 Bahrain - FIA World Endurance Championship". fiawec.com. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ Dagys, John (31 October 2024). "Di Resta Leads Bahrain FP1 for Peugeot". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ Kilbey, Stephen (31 October 2024). "Peugeot starts fast in Bahrain WEC practice". Racer. Racer Media and Marketing, Inc. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "FIA WEC – 8 Hours of Bahrain Free Practice 1 – Final Classification" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "FIA WEC – 8 Hours of Bahrain Free Practice 1 – Final Classification by Driver Fastest Lap" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ Kilbey, Stephen (31 October 2024). "BMW To The Fore In Free Practice 2". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ Klein, Jamie (31 October 2024). "Vanthoor Puts BMW On Top in Second Practice". Sportscar365. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "FIA WEC – 8 Hours of Bahrain Free Practice 2 – Final Classification" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "FIA WEC – 8 Hours of Bahrain Free Practice 2 – Final Classification by Driver Fastest Lap" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ Kilbey, Stephen (1 November 2024). "Peugeot back on top in third Bahrain WEC practice". Racer. Racer Media and Marketing, Inc. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ Watkins, Gary (1 November 2024). "WEC Bahrain: Peugeot tops final practice in season finale weekend". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "FIA WEC – 8 Hours of Bahrain Free Practice 3 – Final Classification" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "FIA WEC – 8 Hours of Bahrain Free Practice 3 – Final Classification by Driver Fastest Lap" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ "028_Doc 28 - Decision No. 9 - Car 83.pdf" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "FIA WEC – Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain Qualifying – Final Classification" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 1 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "067_Doc 67 - Decision No. 36 - Car 36.pdf" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "068_Doc 68 - Decision No. 31 - Car 6.pdf" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "070_Doc 70 - Decision No. 38 - Car 6.pdf" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "077_Doc 77 - Decision No. 40 - Car 51.pdf" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 3 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "072_Doc 72 - Decision No. 39 - Car 31.pdf" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "FIA WEC – Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain Race – Final Classification" (PDF). fiawec.alkamelsystems.com. Alkamel Systems. 2 November 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2024.